We know our brides love the colour purple, so you can imagine our excitement when we saw this weeks purple real wedding. Our sweet hearts Rhiannon and Michael brought their theme to life beautifully and elegantly, with delicate touches of the rich hue throughout the day. We fell in love with her bridesmaids deep purple chiffon dresses. For all our couples looking for purple wedding inspiration this is the perfect wedding for you.
Bride and Groom… Rhiannon & Michael
Wedding date… Friday 8th August 2014
We met… In May 2006. I was at University in Bath and Michael was on a night out. We spent the whole night talking about retro sweets!
The proposal… Mike popped the question on my birthday in 2012. I opened my birthday card and he wrote out a cheque for ‘One Engagement Ring Only.’ I had it framed and it makes me smile every time I see it.
I knew he was ‘the one’… During our first holiday together to France. He surprised me with a weekend away camping and fishing. I would only spent the weekend fishing for someone very special.
Length of engagement… Nearly two years. I’m a bit OCD about numbers and wanted to get married in an even year.
Our wedding photographer was… Lawless-Rose Photography. Neither of us particularly like having our picture taken so we wanted someone we knew and could trust. It was so nice having someone who knew us; we felt so at ease with her. Our photos were so personal.
How did Confetti.co.uk help in your big day? I took inspiration from the real weddings on the site. It was good to read other brides experiences and advice.
My dress was… By Essense of Australia. I left buying my dress quite late; I only started looking the beginning of December 2013. A lot of shops where quite rude to the fact I’d left it late. I had a clear picture of the dress I wanted, very floaty and made of chiffon, I refused to try any other style on. It was just me and my mum shopping to begin with but then Delyth came with us for extra support and advice. We’d been to around 5 other shops before going to Laura May Bridal. I told them what style I wanted; we were invited to look around and choose dresses to try on. I was slightly disappointed they didn’t have any that matched my ‘perfect’ style. Although the dresses were all beautiful they weren’t right for me. However, the owner insisted I try a dress that she’d chosen that went against everything I wanted. WOW! I knew straight away this was the one and when I walked out to my mum and Delyth their reaction said it all. The Luxe Taffeta with a traditional sweetheart neckline delicately ruched to suit my frame perfectly and the detachable cap sleeve illusion neckline that featured scalloped lace details and crystal buttons down the back gave it such an elegant touch. I felt like a princess. It was everything I didn’t want but was utterly perfect. I wore a Halo & Co head piece and a pearl bracelet. The pearls were part of my grandmothers pearl necklace which I had turned into a bracelet; the necklace just didn’t go with my dress but wanted them as my something old and borrowed so we compromised.
My hair and make… Was done by Timba Hair Company and M.A.C. Timba hair company are my regular hair dresser, I didn’t trust anyone else. I’ve always loved French plaits so wanted it to be part of my wedding hair. I had a trial with M.A.C before hand and really recommend that other brides too.
Our wedding ceremony was… At Radyr Christ Church. I am a fluent Welsh speaker therefore I wanted Welsh to be part of the ceremony. Our English speaking guests tried hard to sing along to a traditional Welsh hymn ‘Calon Lan’. We had a Welsh biblical reading as well as a traditional poem reading, ‘On your wedding day.’ My friend played the harp while our guests entered the church and during the signing of the register.
Our favourite part of the wedding… Has to be when I walked down the aisle and seeing Michael’s eyes tearing up as he looked at me. He kept saying for weeks before the wedding that I would cry but he was the one that ended up in tears.
Our groomsmen were… Matthew’s best man Jono, Andy as his ushers and our Dad’s. They wore dark grey tail suits with Ivory Rene waistcoats and purple cravats. Michael doesn’t wear a suit very often so it was important for him to be comfortable.
Our bridesmaids were… My two friends Delyth and Katherine and our 12 year old niece Rebecca. I wanted them all to have the same style so something that suited and complimented them all was a must. I spent a long time researching on the internet before I actually went shopping. I narrowed it down to two styles and then booked appointments for one of the bridesmaids to try them on. In the end, I went for full length v-neck lux chiffon dresses with draped bodice and matching satin belt with bow detail. It turned out Katherine was 8 months pregnant by the wedding so it suited her perfectly.
Our wedding reception was… At De Courcey’s Manor, Cardiff. We found our venue by accident. We had a day of venue viewings booked and happened to drive past it. As soon as I saw it I knew it was ‘THE’ venue. It was perfect location wise too as only 5 minutes from the church.
Our wedding theme was… Purple. I wanted the wedding to be elegant yet simple. It’s my favourite colour and I subtly built it all in the wedding.
Our wedding cake… Was a three tiered square cake with fruit cake, Victoria sponge and white chocolate. A friend made it , it was a big hit.
Did anything funny or unusual happen at your wedding? Everybody loved our Photobooth, it was a great hit. We have a memory book that people left us messages in which is lovely to look back on.
What is your advice for other brides? Budgeting is essential. Keep a track of all your spending and when things need to be paid. Make sure you have time for just you and your husband during the day as it goes so quick. It really felt special to us that our friends and family were involved so try to get them involved as possible.
Our honeymoon was… To Aruba. We wanted somewhere with lots of sun. As we married in the summer which is hurricane season for lots of places, we looked into the best places to go. Aruba ticked all our boxes. It was just perfect, amazing weather and the people were so friendly. The island saying is ‘One Happy Island’ and it definitely was.
Suppliers
Wedding Dress: Laura May Bridal | Wedding Shoes: Rainbow Club | Wedding Suits: Dyfed Menswear | Bridesmaid Dresses: Timeless Elegance Bridal (Dessy) | Wedding Flowers: The Ivy Florist | Wedding Entertainment: De Courceys Manor | Wedding Photographer: Lawless-Rose Photography | Wedding Cake: Becky B’s Cakes | Wedding Make-up: MAC cosmetics | Wedding Hair: Timba Hair Company | Wedding Stationery: byjo.co.uk | Wedding Invites: byjo.co.uk | Wedding Venue: De Courceys Manor |
